No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

No. 316 "City of Warsaw" Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

fighter

Fighter aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...

squadron

Squadron (aviation)

A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...

formed in Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile

Polish government in Exile

The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...

and the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

in 1941. It was one of several Polish fighter squadrons fighting alongside the Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

during the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

History

No 316 Squadron was formed at Pembrey

Pembrey

Pembrey is a village in Carmarthenshire Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay.-History:The name Pembrey is an Anglicisation of the Welsh, Pen-bre...

on 15 February 1941 as a Polish

Poland

fighter unit equipped with Hawker Hurricane Mk.Is

Hawker Hurricane

The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...

. It was engaged in defensive duties over south-west England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

until it re-equipped with Hurricanes Mk.IIs and began sweeps over northern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. It later re-equipped with the Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...

and then Mustang

P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

aircraft.

Commanding officers

! style="text-align: left;"|From
! style="text-align: left;"|To
! style="text-align: left;"|Name
! style="text-align: left;"|Remark
|-----
| Feb 1941
| Mar 1941
| Captain Juliusz Frey
|
|-
| Mar 1941
| Jul 1941
| S/Ldr

Squadron Leader

Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...

C.J. Donovan
| British Officer
|-
| Jul 1941
| Sep 1941
| Captain Juliusz Frey
|
|-
| Sep 1941
| Nov 1941
| Captain Wacław Wilczewski
|
|-
| Nov 1941
| Jun 1942
| Captain Aleksander Gabszewicz

Aleksander Gabszewicz

Aleksander Klemens Gabszewicz was a Polish fighter pilot and a World War II fighter ace, with a score of 9½ confirmed and 2 probable kills.-Biography:...

|
|-
| Jun 1942
| Dec 1942
| Captain Janusz Żurakowski

Janusz Zurakowski

Janusz Żurakowski was a renowned Polish fighter and test pilot, who, at various times, lived and worked in Poland, the United Kingdom, and Canada.-Early life:...

|
|-
| Dec 1942
| Sep 1943
| Captain Marian Trzebiński
|
|-
| Sep 1943
| Jun 1944
| Captain Paweł Niemiec
|
|-
| Jun 1944
| Sep 1944
| Captain Bohdan Arct
|
|-
| Sep 1944
| Jul 1945
| Captain Zygmunt Drybański
|
|-
| Jul 1945
| Oct 1945
| Captain Michał Cwynar
|
|-
| Oct 1945
| Dec 1946
| Captain Paweł Niemiec

Squadron bases

RAF Pembrey

RAF Pembrey was a Royal Air Force station, home to 233 Operational Conversion Unit which flew de Havilland Vampires and Hawker Hunters until its closure in 1957. Site of one of only five Dome Trainer Buildings still existing in the UK...

|-
| Jun 1941
| Aug 1941
| RAF Colerne

RAF Colerne

RAF Colerne now known as Colerne Airfield or AEF Colerne is a former World War II RAF Fighter Command and Bomber Command airfield located on the outskirts of the village of Colerne, Wiltshire...

|-
| Aug 1941
| Dec 1941
| RAF Churchstanton
|-
| Dec 1941
| Apr 1942
| RAF Northolt

RAF Northolt

RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station situated in South Ruislip, east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights...

|-
| Apr 1942
| Jul 1942
| RAF Heston
|-
| Jul 1942
| Mar 1943
| Hutton Cranswick

Hutton Cranswick

Hutton Cranswick is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, approximately south of Driffield town centre on the A164 road....

|-
| Mar 1943
| Sep 1943
| RAF Northolt
|-
| Sep 1943
| Feb 1944
| RAF Acklington

RAF Acklington

The former Royal Air Force Station Acklington, commonly known as RAF Acklington, was a Royal Air Force airfield airbase situated near Acklington, in Northumberland, England....

|-
| Feb 1944
| Apr 1944
| RAF Woodvale

RAF Woodvale

RAF Woodvale is a Royal Air Force Station located south of Southport, Merseyside in a small town called Formby. Although constructed as an all-weather night fighter airfield for the defence of Liverpool, it did not open until 7 December 1941...

|-
| Apr 1944
| Jul 1944
| RAF Coltishall

RAF Coltishall

The former Royal Air Force Station Coltishall, more commonly known as RAF Coltishall , was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, North-North-East of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1938 to 2006....

|-
| Jul 1944
| Jul 1944
| RAF West Malling

RAF West Malling

RAF West Malling was a Royal Air Force station near West Malling in Kent, England.Originally used as a landing area during the first World War, the site opened as a private landing ground and in 1930, then known as Kingshill, home to the Maidstone School of Flying, before being renamed West Malling...

|-
| Jul 1944
| Aug 1944
| Friston

Friston

Friston is a village in Suffolk, England. It is southeast of Saxmundham, its post town, and northwest of Aldeburgh. The River Alde bounds the village on the south. The surrounding land is chiefly arable. The soil becomes partly marshy in the lower grounds...

|-
| Aug 1944
| Oct 1944
| RAF Coltishall
|-
| Oct 1944
| May 1945
| RAF Andrews Field

RAF Andrews Field

RAF Station Andrews Field is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Great Dunmow; about north-northeast of London...

|-
| May 1945
| Aug 1945
| RAF Coltishall
|-
| Aug 1945
| Nov 1945
| RAF Andrews Field
|-
| Nov 1945
| Mar 1946
| Wick

Wick

Wick may refer to:* David Wicks, fictional character from a British soap opera. Not to be confused with David Wicks, American comedian/actor.* Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp...

|-
| Mar 1946
| Dec 1946
| RAF Hethel

RAF Hethel

RAF Hethel is a former World War II airfield used by the US during the Second World War in Norfolk, England situated located 7 miles south west of Norwich.-USAAF use:...

Aircraft operated

Hawker Hurricane

The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...

| Mk.I
|-
| Jun 1941
| Nov 1941
| Hawker Hurricane
| Mks.IIa, IIb
|-
| Oct 1941
| Nov 1941
| Supermarine Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire

| Mk.IIa
|-
| Oct 1941
| Jul 1943
| Supermarine Spitfire
| Mk.Vb
|-
| Mar 1943
| Sep 1943
| Supermarine Spitfire
| Mk.IXc
|-
| Sep 1943
| Apr 1944
| Supermarine Spitfire
| LF.Vb
|-
| Apr 1944
| Dec 1946
| North American Mustang

P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

| Mk.III

History

Commanding officers

Squadron bases

Aircraft operated

External links

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